Apparatus for thawing hydrants.



APPARATUS Fan THAWING HYDRANTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3- 1916.

PatentedSept. 4, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Inventor.- Louis 6'. floss,

d/lo2/fl L. S. ROSS.

APPARATUS FOR THAWING HYDRANTS. APPucAno'u FILLH JUNE a. 1915.

L {238,826. PatentedSept; 4, 1917,

2 SHIFTS-UNIT 2- Invemow- Louis 8.12058,

UNITED STATES LOUIS 8. R058, 01'' NEWTONVILLE,

MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR THAWING HYDRANTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

Application filed J'une 8, 1916. Serial No. 101,840.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS S. Ross, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newtonville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented afi Improvement in Apparatus for Thawing Hydrants, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawin is a specification, like characters on the rawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to devices for thawing hydrants and particularly to apparatus adapted to be carried by motor fire engines for the purpose described.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view, mainly in vertical section, of an apparatus adapted to be attached to a fire engine or like vehicle for the purpose of thawing a hydrant in case the water therein is frozen;

Fig. 2 isa similar view of a slightly modified form of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, mainly diagrammatic, of a motor fire engine having my invention applied thereto; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the rear portion of a fire engine vehicle having my in vention suitably applied thereto.

Although my invention is not limited thereto, it is peculiarly useful in connection with motor fire apparatus which as now constructed has no means for thawing hydrants, the water of which is very apt to be frozen in winter weather. Inasmuch as motor fire vehicles are almost wholly propelled by internal combustion engines, the vehicle does not normally have means for thawing the hydrants. important purpose of my invention is to provide fire engine vehicles of motor and other types with means whereby a frozen hydrant may be very quickly thawed out.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have indicated generally at l the body of a motor fire engine vehicle. The wheels thereof are indicated at 2 and the rear step at 3, the said step being shown in section in Fig. 1. Upon said step I mount a suitable boiler or, receptacle 4, and secure the same in suitable manner in position, as by means of bolts 5 passing through the lower flange end 6 of said receptacle. The boiler may be of any suitable shape, but is preferably cylindrical, and for best purposes may be from fteen to eighteen inches in height. The boiler or receptacle 4 is provided with transverse partitions 7,8 having flanged edges 9, 10 secured in place by bolts 11, 12. A suitable number of vertical tubes 12 are mounted in said partitions, said tubes at their lower ends in open to the reception of the products 0 combustion from a suitable burner 13. At their upper end, said tubes communicate with a small chamber 14 existing between the transverse partition 7 and the head 15, openings 16 being provided in the wall of the boiler 4 for the discharge of products of combustion into the atmosphere. The water may be admitted from any suitable source into the lower portion of the boiler or receptacle 4, and for that purpose I have shown a water inlet 17. I may, if desired, provide a hand or other pump whereby the water may be pumped into the boiler from a reservoir carried upon the fire engine, or any other suitable source of supply may be provided. The boiler or receptacle is provided with a water glass 18 and leading from the upper portion of the boiler is a steam outlet 19' provided with a steam gage 20. The steam outlet is in communication with a downwardly extending pipe 21 provided with a hand valve 22. The said steam pipe 22 leads to a suitable superheater positioned between the burner 13 and the tubes 12'. I have herein indicated the superheater generally at 23, it being preferably composed of two heads 24, 25 connected by a series of transverse pipes 26. Preferably the heads 24, 25 are provided with suitable partitions not herein shown, whereby the water is caused to circulate through the various transverse pipes 26. The superlwater is supported in any suitable manner. asby means of a bracket 37 socuml to theiuner face or the boiler body 4.

lilo any' suitable heater may br employed. I preferably provide a gas torch on account of the high heat units developed. I have herein represented a gas tank 28 seceived upon the lower till,

I linvr valve 5i,

cured by straps 29 or otherwise to the under side of. the step 3 of the vehicle in convenient proximity to the boiler or receptncle 4. Leading from said tnnlr 28 is a pipe 30 having a controlling valve 3i and communicating at 32 with the lmrner 13.

Leading from the head 25 of the superheater is n superheated steam discharge pipe 33; and preferably permanently (Ittuched thereto is a flexible connection 34 which, as indicated in Fig. 1, is of suflis cient length and of proper size to permit it to" be inserted through c hose nttnchinent opening 35 of a hydrantin such manner that the end thereof may extend into proximity to the frozen valves or the ice above the same.

A hydrant is indicated generally at 36, and as the const uction ii" involves no part of my invr-inli-tin. it n t be per ticulurly des ribed it ii snliicient to static that such hydrnnt'r :2l;:'\l,::1[luril are vided with u water inlet iii posiiiunc i AI a considerable distance l czlma tin. ground The cantor opening; 2 i herein represci ed as having" n relic Iii? mounted for vertical movement and having formed therewith or clinched lhcrclo u not i0 is ideal end 41 of a head 42, the upper end 43 whereof extends through the top of the hydrant. A

Customarily the hydrants are provided with a. pinrality of hose nttnrlnnent openings I55 and a suitable valve L4; controlling each of said. openings.

After :1 hydrant has been used and the valve 39 been closed, water may remain standing in the hydrant, particularly if there be a leak in the valve or an obstrnc tion, or some foreign matter accumulates between the valve and its sent, and generally the Water secps or escapes into the ground through one or more openings 45 provided in the lower portion of the hydrant casing. In cold weather, the accumulated water is very apt to freeze, and thus to prevent quick opening of the hydrant.

By the use of my invention, however, steam in a preferred superheated condition may be readily and quickly generated, and "the same can be conveyed to the valve of the hydrants, quickly thawing the same. In Fig. 2, I have represented a slightly modifled form of my invention, wherein the heater or receptacle -16 is provided with an internal coil 47 having means at 481501- admitting water thereto at the upper end, and means at 4:9 for discharging the water in a highly heated condition, but not necessarily I in the form of steam. The type of heater shown in Fig. 2 may be that known as a flesh boiler. The inlet pipe 48 is provided with a controlling valve 50, and the dis-- charge pipe 49 is provided with n control Attached to the discharge masses pipe 49 is e flexible connection 52 similar to that represented in Fig. 1. The burner 53 and the tank 54 with its connections 55 may be similar to that shown in Fig. 1. An acetylene or hydrocarbon gas is preferably used on account of the high number of heat units contained therein.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that my invention may be embodied in a structure of small compass and that highly heated water or steam, or even superheated steam, may be very quickly secured, so that, with a loss of the minimum length of time, a frozen hydrant may be thawed out. I may by the structure shown in Fig. 3 develop any suitable steam pressure, and with thirty pounds pressure am able quickly to generate superheated steam hnving a temperature as high as 1500 F.

linving thus described one illustrative cmlmdimcnt of my invention, I desire it to be lIUdLZVHtOOL'l that although specific terms lire em loyed, they are used in a generic and descriptive ;.-;cuse end not for purposes of limimtimi, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1|. In combination, a motor fire apparatus having a rear step and a. hydrant thawing device secured to the top of said step, said device having a water receptacle, a gas heater in operative relation thereto, a gas reservoir in communication with the heater and attached to the under side of said step, Il'lGdXlS for dischergin heated Water from the receptacle, and a exible connection for introducing the discharged heated Water into n water hydrant.

2, In combination, a motor fire apparatus having a rear step and a hydrant thawing device secured to the top of said step, said device being of general cylindrical form and comprising u casing having a water receptaclc therein, upright tubes extending through said casing, a superheater within said casing below said receptacle and in communication with the latter, a, burner within the casin below the superheater, a gas reservoir attac led to the underside of the said step and in communication with said burner, and

a water receptacle provided at its base with means for attaching it to a vehicle, means for generating superheated. steam from the water and including a burner and a reservoir in communication therewith, said reservoir having means for attaching it directly to said vehicle, means for dischargin the superheated steam from the receptacle, and means for introducing the discharged superheated steam into a water hydrant at or 10 near the valve mechanism thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS S. ROSS. 

